Blind
by Farmageddon
Summary: See the prelude, Chapter 1. Its a love story, but definitely not a fluffy one.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi- You know how this goes- I'm more than halfway through Needle's Eye and I get the urge to find out what's happening to Yoshiko and her T8 companion, Tracker._

_This is a branch-off . Their journey from Sacramento down to Red Valley Motel._

_This a love story, but be warned, it's not a particularly fluffy one. You are going exploring the nature of human and machine relationships and sometimes the 'darker' side of a human being who survived Century and fought to bring an end to The War. _

Preview.

Through the net curtains it appeared a man and a semi-clad woman were were wresting in the centre of their motel living room, already having destroyed most of the breakable furniture in the process. The female drove a strong body punch into the male's ribs and he fell to the floor . She flung herself on top of him and straddled his chest . When she had both his wrists pinned above his head with one hand, she began tearing the buttons off his checked shirt with the other. When he tried to resist she slapped him hard across the face.

Sarah's eyes opened wide and she swollowed. Suddenly a naked-from-the-waist-down T-8, moving faster than most humans can imagine, was on its feet . It had picked up ( what Sarah could only have presumed to be its assailant) and dropped her behind the overturned sofa . It then positioned himself blocking the woman from any potential line of fire from Sarah. The whole rapid movement could not have taken more then a couple of seconds.

Sarah got the full view of the T-8 clutching its shirt together around its waist. There were what appeared to be human teeth marks in its exposed shoulder.

Having recognised Sarah Connor its mouth twitched into a crinkly T-8 smile through the glass. 


	2. Day One

Tracker aimed the Harley down the slip road tunnel and wound back the throttle . They need to get ahead of a car that was about to undertake and cut in front of them . Yoshiko tightened her hold around Tracker . Under acceleration the motorcycle's noise and vibration reminded Yoshi of a 18 mm field cannon on auto fire. The bark of its open pipes echoed off the tunnel walls , then they suddenly quietened to a throb when they emerged out into the light and colour of the urban freeway.

After a few moments Yoshi cautiously lifted herself up to peer over Tracker's shoulder. . The slipstream was warm and it moved pleasantly over her face . It tugged at her hair. She looked up to blue sky and felt the sun . She had never seen totally blue sky nor felt sun like this before .

The bike settled to a idle cruise in the slow lane . Brightly coloured civilian vehicles of all shapes and sizes filed past them . Tentatively with one arm, she let go of Tracker and trailed out her hand allowing the air to play through her fingers, then she placed her open palm back over Tracker's stomach,. When she did a ridge abdominal 'muscle' tensed offering a grip .

After a couple of miles Tracker determined Yoshiko was was beginning to feel more confident about being on the back of the bike , he gradually un-tensed the abdominal ridge allowing her to cup his flatting stomach with her hands without clinging onto him . Behind he felt muscles in her thighs relaxing , and she wriggled around in her seat to get into more comfortable position. At this point Tracker ascertained Yoshi had familiarised herself with riding as a pillion passenger.

She leaned forward and shouted over the noise of the engine. "Where are are we going?"

Tracker shrugged

"You mean you haven't formulated a strategy?"

"Not yet . Too many variables"

He decided to change the subject ." Are You hungry Yoshiko?"

" I'm Ok for now." Tracker knew if she had to, Yoshiko could cope with days of hunger, as well as the next effective human soldier. He waited thirty seconds for her delayed reply. He knew her well enough. There were plenty of sources of food all round them . Little risk.

"Well guess I could eat something if I had to."

"Next stop. Yoshi , you are going to so like this." He added

"I am 'so' going to like this, why?"

"You just are. Hang on"

Tracker rolled back the throttle and the bike surged forwards precisely cutting through the traffic to get into the outer lane.

* * *

They pulled into the last space at the far edge of the hyper-mart car park . It was secluded and overhung with small tress and pink flowering thorn bushes, there was drift of paper litter up against the kerb . Nobody came this far down to park their vehicles. It was too far from any of the entrances

Behind the hedge there was a row of dumpsters, plastic bins and trash cans. Tracker moved himself between the hedge and pushed back to make an opening for Yoshiko, as she climbed through. Without snapping a single branch he carefully bent them out of her way .

The first dumpster they opened up was full of warm meat. It was a mixture of black, grey and red. There were relatively few flies on it. Yoshiko decided she could trim and eat scraps of it if she had to. Raw, red meat isn't too bad if it's warm, she reminded herself.

Unlike the first, the second dumpster was a superb find. Yoshi had never seen so much variety and volume of food since JD . Excitedly she pulled herself up balanced on stomach across the top and allowed her upper body to swing down into the dumpster. Tracker held the lid up with one hand and grabbed one of her ankles with the other as she rummaged around inside .

Her face lit up as if reflecting light from a hoard of gold. There must have been four cubic metres of bread and sell-by-date confectionary, and ready made sandwiches that were only slightly sweating in plastic wraps . She glanced over the mound of broken, crumbly chocolate products still in their packaging . "Tracker," her voice came through the plastic side wall . "This is totally amazing in here. Hey, do _you _want anything Tracker ?" She felt a slight squeeze on her ankle indicating a yes/maybe.

Yoshiko grabbed three wraps of cheese and tomato rolls , then a packet of chocolate coated sponge cake, what else was there , oh wait! there was variety box of small plastic bottles full of warm, not so freshly squeezed, fruit juices and one screwed-up packet of chocolate buttons that had been torn open around the edge. Upside down, with her brown hair falling in her face, she stretched out and very carefully picked it up so the buttons didn't spill out.

She placed her stash in an empty carrier bag and rolled herself backwards dropped down to gracefully land on her feet.

"Thank you" she said to Tracker . "Thank you so much, that was great."

Tracker indicated he 'felt' glad she was enjoying herself so much

"Got you some buttons," Yoshi shook the carrier bag in front of him.

Tracker glanced at the bag.

Yoshi grinned, "Oh no, not until we get out of the city."

Tracker picked up the cue and made ( for him) a deliberately slow , playful lunge for the bag, Before his arm full extended she switched the bag to her other hand and shoved him on his shoulder. An unfamiliar sound come out of Captain Yamanto's mouth. No one one except Tracker had ever heard her make it before. It was a giggle. She switched hands again and hid the bag behind her back.

"Ah-ah , no you don't solider . Back off and wait."

Yoshi turned , she was about to walk out from between the dumpsters when Tracker gave her the signal to get-the-hell down. Yoshi automatically dropped to the tarmac and scrambled behind the line of plastic dumpsters crouching with her back to the brick wall. Without a sound Tracker moved in and crouched next to her.

With her eyes she asked "how many"? He gave the signal for 'one'. She could now hear footsteps coming across the loading bay . They both peered under the wheels of the plastic trash bin. A pair of shiny black leather boots under green security trouser bottoms was approaching. The shoes halted on the other side of the bin.

OK," the guard drawled in an laconic voice, " who have we got behind here today?" To reinforce the point he tapped on the plastic side wall with his night-sick.

Yoshi glanced at Tracker. He pointed to her shoulder indicating her rank and that technically, she being of higher rank than him , it fell to her deal with what was essentially,a human, social situation. Yoshi waved her arms as if to say "no". Tracker predicted she was going to try to play the autism card to get out of this , exactly like she did on Base, to avoid these situations. He had specific orders from John not to allow her to do this with him on this mission. Tracker practically pushed her out from behind the bins. He had absolute faith the guard had no idea what he was up against.

The guard tapped again. "Come on Lady, and you big guy come on out, I don't want any trouble, its too hot today for trouble."

When Yoshiko emerged she held her hands of in front of her. Yoshi looked him up and down, as if she was scanning him. He was a large, pear shaped human, expanding from the head and neck down with incongruously skinny legs and he was obviously well fed. Apart from a .357 SW revolver holstered in his belt and the night-stick in his hand, he appeared unarmed.

The guard exhaled, walking towards him between the walls of the trash bins was one of the most beautiful women he'd recently seen . She was wearing a black leather jacket , oily jeans and a pair of bike boots. So, that explained the sound of a motorcycle he'd heard on the other side of the thorn hedge. It's what caught his attention. When Yoshi got closer he noticed a faint scar running down her left cheek, it didn't detract. With practised effort Yoshi curled the corners of her mouth to form a smile. Still holding her hands out she spoke calmly :

" We only came for food, and we are only taking what we need. Nothing more."

" People buy food here lady , the store don't give it away. Now call your boyfriend out here as well. I don't want to bring the cops in on this unless I have to."

Yoshi wanted to protest :_"There is so much food being wasted here. In Century I witnessed Greys murder human POW's for stealing a handful of their solid rations- a fraction what's here, so, how can you even begin to throw away something so precious as food ! _"

Yoshi kept her peace. The guard, none of these daydreaming people had any conception of what was to come.

She glanced at him, feigning nervousness in her voice: "I will call him but please I must ask you not to pull your gun on him. I promise he won't try to harm you, he just has this thing about guns."

"Why , what's he got about guns."

Yoshi tilted her head to one side. _Because, stupid, my 'boyfriend' is a T8, and he'll drag you around the back of here and quietly rip your head off if you pull a gun on him ._ Instead Yoshi conveyed a brittle smile.

_Tech Com Operation Manual. Cameron Connor:_

_ Vol. 1 Chapt. 1 ._

_Section 4. _

_Para. 3: "A plausible deception is always compounded from truth, and can be , where appropriate , more effective than violence"_

Yoshi been assessing the situation. The guard had a old US infantry tattoo on his forearm.

"We're on leave , Yoshi's voice hardened she began imitating one of the female corporals whose conversations she and Cameron repeatedly listened-in-to, on the next table along in the mess.

"We're seven days in , we ship back out end of next week. "

"Ok ," the guard sighed and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, "So why are you stealing from the trash."

"My boyfriend, he's a Marine sergeant , he got his wallet ripped off . Someone pencil-dick in wages supposed to be wiring us cash through, but it hasn't arrived . We're hungry." Yoshi imitated Cameron's best 'little girl lost' big brown eyes.

The guard un-tensed. How could anyone not believe Yoshi.

She lowered her arms looked over her shoulder . "Hey 'boyfriend', come on, haul your ass out now now. Promise there's no guns."

A large figure emerged behind Yoshi . Tracker had earlier torn the sleeves off his shirt, and the Guard found himself looked over one of the most powerful physiques he'd seen in a long time. A contemporary , slightly faded marines tattoo had formed in organic pigments on Tracker's right arm. He was holding the plastic bag with Yoshi's small haul of food by its neck.

" OK buddy." The guard put his night stick back in its holster. 'I had you down as Illegals or something. Before we put up the fence- we used to get hundreds of them in here. You'd find them asleep on the roof, even inside the dumpsters. Say how did two you get in?"

"A gap in the thorn bushes." Tracker pointed to the bushes, and did his best to look intimidated.

The Guard scratched his head. " You think you can get back out that way like now, ? And, don't mention me in this . If anyone asks, I never saw you. I'm supposed to tell you I won't , then put you in a room, and call cops any way , in your case obviously I won't."

"Thank you . " Yoshi, feigned relief.

" Yeh , thanks man ." Tracker added, letting out a measured sigh.

"Come on then." Yoshi held out her hand to Tracker. They walked towards the guard who didn't shift from his stance between the walls of trash bins. The couple separated to get around him and when they did , they both brushed past the him before rejoining hands walking towards he gap in the bushes

"Hey lady." Called the guard,

"You take care when you're back out there, yeh ?"... "and you soldier, you make sure she keeps that pretty head of hers down."

"I do .I will". Tracker called over his shoulder.

The guard watched the couple almost breaking into a run to get back to their bike . He had had seen it all before: She was what ? In her early thirties. The big guy ? maybe late twenties. They get two weeks leave together and they start acting like dizzy high school kids again. US army wages clerks were A1 assholes . He'd almost felt like lending the couple twenty dollars himself.

When Yoshi and Tracker were climbing back on the bike , Yoshi frowned . "What did he mean pretty face? Do you think that was sarcasm?"

"Sarcasm can be difficult to quantify , but I detected nothing resembling it when I analysed his voice."

It was a mystery.

"So. What did you get?"

Tracker pulled out the guard's wallet and took out four twenty dollar bills then emptied a handful of change before discarding it .

"What did you get ? "

Yoshi pulled the guard's cell phone from her jacket pocket.

It was going to be a long ride to Red Valley, but they were three days early so they still had to find the scenic route.

* * *

Yoshi made herself comfortable on the sleeping roll they had picked up in an shop on the way out of Sacramento . It was so soft, new and clean. She was positioned on top of a man-made boulder escarpment with her arms around her knees and the bag of food next to her .

Tracker was looking over the bike. Behind them rusting gates, burnt out cars and the big twisted-out machinery that gets left behind to corrode in a disused sandstone quarry. Further along another quarry was being filled in with municipal waste. Trash had blown all the way back to the outskirts of Sacramento . It was caught in every barbed wire and chain link fence . Yoshi sighed, Below her an endless stream of traffic lights rolled on under the late evening sky . This world seemed so incredibly peaceful she had never believed she could ever experience this beauty again.

Yoshi reached into the bag took out a roll and opened it up. She glanced behind her. Tracker had finished checking the bike and was swiftly capturing and terminating scorpions within a four metre radius around them. He seemed to enjoy loosing himself in this kind of activity.

Without her noticing, he'd been placing the head-squashed scorpions in clear plastic bag. They were smaller than the Post JD variety. He knew Yoshi was partial to raw scorpion and she took pleasure in shelling them. He was also aware yoshi had attempted to conceal the packet of chocolate buttons . It was zipped in her inside left pocket. They could play the game of non-essential rations trading later . The activity would help take her mind off Rain. Yoshi had barely mentioned Rain , which , he knew meant Yoshi was worrying about her, unnecessarily. Rain was well equipped to look after herself in this time.

"Tracker, you finished?" She waved him over.

With her fingernails she extracted a deep red , soggy organic ring as it tried to cling to the cheese slice. She held it up for him to analyse.

"OK , fruit or vegetable?"

"Fruit" Tracker replied emphatically.,

"I didn't know you even knew that."

"OK ," she held her hand up , the tomato ring was between her finger and thumb. "in 1999 what's the common name for this fruit?"

Tracker pursed his lips as he reached down and accepted the food. He didn't know.

"Tomato wasn't in your data was it? But you guessed it was a fruit. That's good."

Tracker experimentally nibbled a corner nodded approvingly before he pushed the rest in his mouth. Yoshi did the same, allowing a couple of yellow seeds to dribble down her chin. She luxuriated in its range of natural flavours. Then she took a big bite of the roll . When she offered the other portion to Tracker he shook his head.

"Ok I'll just pick tomato out for you."

Tracker squatted down behind her. When he did this he always appeared as if he was resting his arms on an upright plasma rifle even if it was an invisible one . Yoshi shuffled so her back was against his knees. . She paused between mouthfuls of roll and took a sip of mango juice before passing back it to him to try. Like every other T8 he carefully examined and stored the data on the label before placing it to his mouth.

"Tracker what do you know about the Young John Connor, in this time?"

"In what respect ?"

Well me and Cameron get together , and we talk. She's told me a little about their early relationship. "

The T8 inclined his head and licked a tomato seed off his index finger.

" Sarah objected strongly to their relationship. "

"She did?"

" You know why?"

Tracker looked down Yoshi's head and shoulders as she nestled between his knees, her brown hair was spread out over the tops of his thighs.

"No. This is new information to me."

Yoshi suddenly shifted tactic. "Do you assess Cameron to be attractive?"

Tracker considered the question. He knew Yoshiko well enough to understand there was now more than one level to her line of questioning.

"Cameron is attractive to human males and certain females. She is an infiltrator. It was intended."

"That was the problem. All Sarah saw was her intended purpose, not her underlying nature. She deeply resented Cameron, until she came to partly understand why Cameron and John had such a unique relationship with each other."

Tracker processed the implications of Yoshi's use of the word 'unique'.

"Tracker: do you find Cameron to be attractive? "

No one had ever asked tracker a question like this before.

"Come on ." Yoshi shifted her weight against knees. " You can inform me. I won't tell her, I promise."

"No, I don't find her attractive in the manner human males , I suppose mine is best described as an affinity response towards her ."

"Like friendship."

"Yes like friendship."

" Ok let's broaden the area of debate: If not Cameron, female 600's. Would you ever find an affinity with any of them form a relationship  
like Cameron has with John?"

Tracker ran a finger over his mouth. " For what purpose? There would be no purpose to such a relationship with a female 600. I do not understand where your your line of reasoning is leading here Yoshi."

Yoshi dropped out of interrogation mode; "Oh it's leading nowhere . I was considering the most suitable way to respond to Sarah Connor and the family unit when we collect Rain. Thank you for explaining your attitude to relationships . It was helpful "

Something told Tracker that had not been the purpose of this conversation, nor was it the end of it. He decided a distraction was called for. It sometimes worked with Yoshiko.

Yoshi felt a slight weight on her left shoulder, when she turned around the bag of scorpion was snatched away and Tracker held it at arms length out of her reach. Tracker was sure it would take them ages to explore relative values and negotiate the exchange rate of small ,Pre -JD scorpions to chocolate. The pleasure would , be for them both , in the negotiation.


End file.
